Windsor wants to turn gym into community center

Mayor pursing grants, county support to overhaul Windsor Middle gymnasium

September 07, 2013|By Allison T. Williams | Daily Press

WINDSOR – Four years ago, the Windsor community came together and helped pressure the county to build the new Georgie T. Tyler Middle School.

Windsor Mayor Rita Richardson is hoping residents will fight just as hard to save the 1,200-square-foot gymnasium attached to the dilapidated Windsor Middle School, which is slated for razing once the new school opens in September 2014. The contractor's estimate to raze the gym and haul away the debris is $173,000, she said.

The gymnasium, which is newer than the rest of circa-1950s schoolhouse, would be a perfect much-needed community center for Windsor, Richardson said. Although there is no formal agreement, Richardson and School Board Chairman Robert Eley have discussed a possible long-term lease if the town comes up with necessary funds to repair and maintain the building.

The building needs an estimated $267,000 in work, mostly for replacing brickwork on the building exterior, installing new insulation and a heating-and-air-conditioning system, Richardson said.

The Isle of Wight Board of Supervisors has agreed to include $100,000 – to be paid in $25,000 increments over four years – in its capital improvement plan. The capital plan is the county's guide for prioritizing capital projects and doesn't guarantee the project will be funded, county spokesman Don Robertson said.

The Windsor Town Council has authorized Richardson to seek multiple grants to refurbish the old gym, including one through the Obici Foundation in Suffolk and a community development block grant through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Only one application – to the Elm Foundation in Franklin – has been submitted so far, Richardson said.

"We need this community center, there is no public facility in this part of the county for large groups to meet," said Richardson. Senior citizens and teenagers are the two groups that would benefit the most from a community center in town, she said.

The town's ability to do the project will depend on grants, community support and the county's support, Richardson said. She said she does not intend to propose raising Windsor's town tax, now 10 cents per $100 of assessed property value, to fund the project.

"This is not time to raise taxes," she said.

Once the capital part is finished, the town would depend on user rents, participation fees and community donations to cover operating costs, she said. Local businesses, including Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, have a foundation that will help fund programs, she said.

"This is still in the infancy stage … and community support is critical," she said. The town will not pursue the project unless it get grant finding.

Input wanted

Windsor residents can take a community survey related to the proposed community center at town's website, http://www.windsor-va.gov.